Molasses Brined Pork Chops on Game Night


 

Cliff Bartlett

R.I.P. 5/17/2021
Decided on these Pork Chops for this cook. Chops were brined for 8 hours and then sauced with a Carolina Style Mustard Sauce. Sided things up with a Baker and a Cheesy Zucchini Bake. Here goes.

Here are the chops and brine. These were the last from a bunch of rough cut, untrimmed pork chops in a large bag. There were originally about a dozen chops, and for the most part they were great. This time the rough cut was an understatement. The bone on the larger chop was about a half inch longer than the thickness of the chop itself. The meat immediately adjacent to the bone pretty tough also. The brine consisted of molasses, K Salt, whole cloves and water.



During the day, (working around the game, thank gosh for a DVR) I made the Carolina Mustard Sauce. Here's what's in it.



Used my new little 1 qt. DO to make the Sauce. Cubed up the apple and got it soft over medium heat. Then added brown sugar and let it caramelize.



Added the AC Vinegar and let it simmer for half hour. Apples pretty much fell apart but assisted with a potato masher.



Added the mustard and red pepper flakes. Stirred and put in our blender until smooth.



Here's the sauce. Came out great. High octane too.



Put my Zucchini Bake together. Couple of sliced zucchini, couple of yellow squash, chopped fresh basil, sliced scallions, dried thyme, garlic powder, pizza cheese mix and grated parmesan.



Got grills set up around second game.



Bakers on.



Zucchini Bake on. Trying to wean myself off grilling with Pyrex, so I used my new 2 qt. DO.

 
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Chops on over some high heat.



Moved to cooler part of grill. Applied sauce to both sides of chops when they were done. Gave them about one minute more. Pulled after around 8 minutes total.





Zucchini Bake done. Topped with more cheese about 15 more minutes before this shot taken.



Plate and bite.





Very happy with this cook. Meat was moist and tender. That sauce was fantastic. Overall flavors were excellent. Hint of sweetness from the brine and a nice little tang from the sauce. I love mustard based sauces. Sides were tasty too, particularly the Zucchini Bake. Fun cook and a fun day. Hope you all had a nice weekend. Thanks for looking.
 
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That chop is perfect colour. Grate cook.

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I'm all over that high-octane apple sauce too!!
 
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Great cook Cliff, as always. Barb and I like mustard based marinades and sauces also. I have some chicken thighs for tonight marinating in a Dijon mustard and maple syrup marinade.
 
Cliff, I just tried your "zucchini bake"! Strong work! It worked out delightfully with some chicken breasts for dinner tonight.
Thanks for sharing!
 
Added the mustard and red pepper flakes. Stirred and put in our blender until smooth. {snip} Here's the sauce. Came out great. High octane too.
No doubt, you've got a boatload of red pepper flakes there. Looks amazing, as does everything else in this cook
 
Cliff, you out did yourself again. That is one awesome cook and the plated pic tells the story.
 

 

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